Pneumatic starter for automobiles.



T. DAVIS.

PNEUMATIC .STARTER FOR AUTOMOBILES. APPLlcATiQN FILED FEB. I3, |918.

Patented Feb. 11, 1919.

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APPLICATION FILE!) FEB. I3 1918.

Patented Feb. 11, 1919.

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T. DAVIS.

PNEUMATIC STARTER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I3. 19|8.

Patented Feb. 11, 191.9.

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lhvenmf T. DAVIS. PNEUIVIA'TIIJ STARIER FOR AUTOMOBILES. APPLICATION FILED FEB. I3. I9I8. 19294,@ Patented Feb.11,1919.

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T. DAVIS.

PNEUMATIC STARTER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

,y APPLICATION FILED FEB. I3; I9I8- I 1,294,058. Patented Feb. 11, 1919.

I. DAI/Is. i PNEUMATIC STARTER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 13, 191e.

4Patented Eeb. 11, 1919.

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THOMAS DAVIS, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE JOHN FORD STARTER, COMPANY, A CORPORATION OE MARYLAND.

PNEUMATIC STARTER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb.. 11i, 1919..

Application filed February 13, 1918. Serial No. 216,927.

To r/ZZ whom it may concern: l

Be it known that I, THOMAS DAvIs, a citizen ct' the United States, and resident of Detroit,"\lichigan, have. invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Starters for Automobiles. of which the following is a specification.l

The invention relate-s to an internal combustion engine starting apparatus of the general type disclosed in Letters Patent of the Fnited States. granted to Charles G. Eidsou. Thomas Davis, and David E. Crouse, #1233855. July 1T, 1917, and the present invention concerns an arrangement by which air pressure is used to set the clutch means in action in such type 0f organization.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional View through the starting motor, parts being shown in elevation.

' Fig. 2 is an end view of the starting motor.

Fig. 3 is a view fromthe opposite side from that shown in Fig.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of parts shown Fig. 1. together with certain other parts.

Fig. 5a is a View 0f a detail plan View of valve 9 ot Fig. 5, with stem 16 of piston 13 in section. -l v Fig. 5, is a view in the nature of a diagram. c

F-ig. G is a plan viewof part of the connection ofvsystem. i

Fig. 7 is an elevation of the parts of Fig. (i, partly in section.

Fig. 8 is a detailed sectional view of the treadle lever of Fig. 7 with adjacent parts in elevation.

ln these drawings a compressed air tank A isconnected by a pipe a with the starting motor A and a pipe e5 extends from the pump E to the tank to supply the samel with compressed air.

In starting up with the tank charged a suitable valve is opened and air is admitted to the casing of the motor through the port a Fig'. 2, and this acting against the blade b will set the rotor in rotation The exhaust port is indicated at There are four blades L 0n the rotor pressed outwardly by springs y, and there are two sets of inlet and ex- Vafter it passes the abutment in the direction of the arrow, and as it approaches the opposite abutment it uncovers thehexhaust ,port

`for the discharge of air. This rotor has a quill or hub c journaled in the xedcasing or stator, and this quill or hub has a splined connection at g With a sleeve f which has xed thereto a clutch member CZ. -Within the sleeve f there is a. shaft e and at' the right hand end of this shaft an eccentric e 'is carried thereon, Working in a strap e2 connected through a rod With the pump piston e3 Working in the cylinder et of the pump E. This pump cylinder is connected through the pipe e5 With the compressed air tank, as above stated, and a suitable valve is arranged at e6 to act as a check against the return of the air from the tank to the pump cylinder, and this check valve is pressed by a spring e?. The inlet pipe e8 for the air tothe pump is connected .with the space ci surrounding the casing of the rotor, this spaice being covered by a plate el", which,at the proper point, is perforated as indicated at.10X for the inlet of air. A check valve Opening toward the pump'cylinder is arranged at e to .allow the air to enter but to prevent its escape back through the inlet pipe es, this cheek valve being pressed by a spring @12. The clutch member (l, as stated above, is fixed or made in one piece with the inner sleeve f, which sleeve is capable of longitudinal movement because of its splined connection at g, with the rotor quill, and .when the air is admitted to the rotor chamber it is also admitted through the port L and the channel z' to the space 7c back of the clutch member ci, which, therefore, acts as a piston within the extension 4 ofthe rotor casing and the axial movement of the clutch member d causes it to engage the clutch member d', which is fixed to the shaft e, and as the-clutch member ai is now in rotation, because 0f the splined connection g with the quill or hub of the rotor, the clutch member d Will be set in rotation, together with the shaft e, and also this shaft e will be moved axially toward the the action of the clutch d working as a piston inthe cylindrical part L of the fixed casing .will cause the clutch member Z to engage the clutch member m which is fixed on the engine shaft n, and thusthe latter will be set in rotation. The end of this enginev shaft is indicated at 2, and 3 indicates the fan pulley of the Ford machine. l

lThe engine shaft is thus driven and having started the engine the clutch d, cZ, will automatically release, due to the member d fixed on the-shaft e now clutched to the engine through the members Z and m, running ahead of the member d, this action of running ahead being permitted by the inclined surfaces of the teeth between the members (Z and al.

The shaft e will continue to rotate, due to the clutch members m and Z rotating in engagement and thus the pump will be operated to store air in thetank and this will continue until the air pressure in the tankv reaches a predetermined degree when a. diaphragm at o will receive the air pressure through a suitable governor, similar for instance to that disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States of Eidson, and Davis, No. 1,192,774, July 23, 1916, or at 60 of said patent of Eidson, Davis and Crouse, and the movement of this diaphragm will be imparted through the rod p to the lever g pivoted at g', and as this lever is in engagement with the groovev of the clutch member Z, this member will be withdrawn from the clutch member m against the pressure of spring r andthe parts of the starter may then remain at rest until needed again.

\ In this action of withdrawing the clutch `member Z from the member m, the sh-aft e will move with the clutch member Z back to its former position,l and this action can take place, notwithstanding the fact that the shaft e carries thel eccentric e of the pump mechanism, it being possible for this eccentric to slide in relation to the eccentric strap. The clutch member Z is-pressed by the spring 1', whose function is to maintain the clutch Z- in engagementA with the clutch member m, for effecting the pumping operation up to the time that the clutch member Z is positimely thrown out of operation by the lever g.

v l "ill-iris spring will also perform another oftice, -in that it will throw the clutch member Zinto engagement with the member m in case the air pressure leaks out of the tank down to a predetermined degree, for it will be understood that the clutch is held out of operation by the connections p and g when the pressure in the tank is allowed by the governor to act on the diaphragm, o, but should this pressure be reduced through leakage and the connections 'g .and p be not held by the pressure from the tank, the spring will then act to throw in thevclutch Z which will set the pump in operation to restore the pressure. In other words,l vthe apparatus while the car is running will maintain the y predetermined degree of pressure in the tank, even though the tank leaks, because under these conditions the clutch will be periodica'lly thrown into engagement with the clutch memlber m, the pumpl operated, and the pressure thereby will be raised in the tank until the connections pand g throw the clutch out again, and on reduction of the pressure the spring r will throw the clutch in agairrand so on as long as the car is running.

A. spring s is arranged in the link p, this being pressed upon by the diaphragm stem 0.. This spring will enable the operatcr to set the clutches Z and m by sliding the shaft e at such time that pressure in the tank is maintained at the maximum or thereabout, this spring yielding suiiiciently to allow `the clutch to be set notwithstanding the fact that the diaphragm o, because of the air pressure '\thereagainst, holds the stem p against yieldmg movement.

t will be observed that the cylinder 4 in which the pistonli'ke clutch member d works forms an extension of the stator casing.

Referring to Fig-5 which is a diagram of the system the governor such as shown in the patents above mentioned #1,192,774 is indicated generally at D the pipe leading thereto from the main pressure pipe line being shown at 5 and the air pipe between the governor and the diaphragm o being shown at 6. The governor being of the same construction as that disclosed in the patent referred to, is of such a character that it will not operate to deliver air to the diaphragm 0 to throw out the clutch until a certain pressure is reached whereupon the governor will act quickly and let the air ow to the diaphragm to throw out the clutch, and on the contrary when the pressure is falling the governor will not act until a certain low deopened will allow the air pressure from the tank to pass to the rotor to operate the same, but at the same time will cause a reduced pressure to exist. on that side of the choke port, or restriction, upon which the pipe 5 is located, it being understood that the reduction in pressure is due to the choke and to the exhausting of the air through the motor, a quick reduction of pressure therefore takes place in the pipe 5 with the result that the diaphragm is allowed to collapse for the ready throwing in of the clutch and the operation of the pump for a long enough period to fully restore the air pressure in the tank. The quick reduction of pressure -just mentioned takes place in the space 10 below the diaphragm 11, resulting in the closing of the valve-14 ofthe patent above referred to,`

upon its seat 15 and not only cutting ofi the air pressure to the diaphragm but opening the valve at 20 to allow the air to escape from the diaphragm chamber through the port 22D.

The choke port so controls the governor as to insure the immediate replenishing of the air in the tankwhen a starting action is performed.

`Without the choke port, unless enough ailr had been used to bring the pressure throughout the system and tank downto the point where the governor operates to release air from the diaphragm for its collapse and the removal of its influence from the clutch, the pump would be cut out of operation soon after the start was made, and thereby the air would not be fully replenished in the tank on that start, this cutting out of the clutch and the stopping of the pump being due to the quick rebuilding of pressure at the governor andthe changing of its valves to deliver air pressure to the diaphragm o.'

I" have provided an escape valve device connected with the pipe e5 which leads the air from the pump E to the tank A. This pipe e5 connects with the main pipe a at a point beyond the choke port 7 This relief valve device, comprises a casing 8, communieating with the pipes a and e?. `The casing contains a valve 9 seated at 9 and pressed by a spring 17. When this valve is o its seat the air coming from the pump will pass through the valve and the atmosphere.

The valve 9 is opened by arpiston 13 in the casing which is subjected to the pressure in port 12 to the the main pipe a when the operator by pressing on the trea-dle 14X opens the main air valve C. When this valve C is opened the air pressure passes to the motor and starts the same and at the same time the pressure acting on the piston 13 will cause the pin or extension 16 carried thereby to force the f valve 9 open against its spring pressure so that the air from the pump will be free to pass to the atmosphere and therefore the pump will run free and this will prevent additional load being imposed upon the rotor. After the engine picks up and begins to drive the pumpand the operator takes his foot ofi'l the treadle 14X the pressure on the piston 13 will cease and the air coming from the pump will close the valve 9 aided Vby the spring 17, and the air will go through the valve casing 8 and the pipe e5 to the main air pipe a at a point lbeyond the choke port 7 and thence to the air tank. It will be seen from the albove that when the rotor is firststarted the pump will be connectedl with the atmosphere but when the engine picks up, the rotor will be thrown out of service and the pump will then be connected with the air tank instead of with the atmosphere and pressure will be restored in the. tank.

I have also provided a relief valve at 18 adjacent the rotor which in case of back firing will open so that the rotor acting under these conditions as a pump will not twist the shaft or |break the clutch, because the pressure will Abe free to escape through this valve which is loaded by a suitable spring 19 to hold only a predetermined degree of pressure from the tank to turn the rotor as predetermined upon.

At 20 is shown a felt screen, to keep out dust from this valve device.

At "21 I indicate a check valve, which may be of any ordinary type. As the' flow of air is from the pump toward the tank this check valve is arranged to close toward the pump. u

A safety valve is indicated at 22 to open for the escape of over pressure from the system in the event that the governor fails to stop the pump when. the predetermined pressure is reached in the tank. As this may be a plain safety valve of any desired construction it has not been thought necessary i pressed air reservoir, a starting motor comprising a rotor and a casing therefor, a shaft slidable axially through the said rotor, a pump operated from the said shaft, a clutch between the slidaible shaft. and the engine shaft, a clutch between the rotor and the slidable shaft, and means for supplying air pressure for turning the rotor and for sliding the said shaft, substantially as described.

Q. In combination an engine shaft, a compressed air reservoir, a starting motor comprising a rotor and a casing therefor, a shaft slidable axially through the said rotor, a pump operated from the said shaft, a clutch between the slidalble shaft and the engine shaft, a clutch between the rotor and the slidableshaft, and means for supplying air `pressure for turning the rotor and for sliding the said shaft, said last mentioned'clutch comprising a member splined to the rotor and amember fixed on the slidable shaft, the splined member receiving air pressure to move it into engagement with the other member and to slide the said shaft to set the first mentioned clutch, substantially as described.

3. In combination an engine shaft, a compressed air reservoir, a starting motor comprising a rotor and a casing therefor, a shaft slidalble axially through the said rotor, a pump operated from the ysaid shaft, a clutch between the slidable shaft and the engine shaft, a clutch between the rotor and the slidalble shaft and means for supplying air pressure for turningthe rotor andI for sliding the said shaft, said last mentioned-clutch comprising a member splined to the rotor and working piston-like in a cylinder forming a part of the stator, and comprising also a member fixed on the slidaible shaft and a conduit for delivering air to the said cylinder back o-f the piston member, to set the same in engagement with its companion member on the shaft and toslide said shaft )to set the clutch between the said shaft and 'the engine shaft, substantially as described.

4. In combination with an air tank an engine, a startin rotor, a pump operated when the engine is started to restore air to the tank, a clutch between the engine and the pump, a diaphragm subjected to air pressure and controlling the clutch, a governor for controlling the air pressure to the diaphragm said governor supplying air to the diaphragm when a certain maximum pressure is reached, and allowing the air to escape from the diaphragm to throw in the clutch when a certain reduced pressure is reached, a main air pipe between the air tank and the motor, having a choke port therein, and a connection to the governor from said pipe at a point beyond the choke port in respect to they said air tank substantially as described. n

5. In combination with an air tank an engine, a starting motor, a pump operated when the engine is started to restore air 4to the tank, a clutch between the engine and the pump, a diaphragm subjected to air pressure and controlling the clutch, a governor for controlling the air pressure to the diaphragm, said governor supplying air to the diaphragm, when a certain maximum pressure is reached and allowing the air to escape from the diaphragm to throw in the clutch when a certain reduced pressure 1s reached, a main air pipe between the air tank and the motor, having a choke port therein, a connection to the governor from said. pipe at a point beyond the choke port in respect to said air tank, and a valve manually operated and controlling the passage of air the tank, a clutch between the engine and the pump, a diaphragm subjected to air pressure and controlling the clutch, a govf ernor for controlling the air pressure to the diaphragm, said governor supplying air to the diaphragm when a certain maximum pressure is reached and allowing the air toescape from the diaphragm to throw in the clutch when a certain reduced pressure is reached, a main air pipe between the air tank and the motor, having a choke port therein, and a connection to the governor from said pipe at a point beyond the choke port in respect to the said air tank and a pipe leading from the pump and connecting with the tank and by-passing the choke port, substantially as describeda j,

j 7. In combination, an engine, astarting motor, an air tank, a pipe extending from the air tank to the starting motor, a pump,

and a pipe connection between the pump .and the tank to restore pressure to the latter and a relief valve automatically operating to connect the pump with the atmosphere when the motor is first started, said valve closing when the engine picks up and begins driving the pump.

8. In' combination in a starting apparatus for internal combustion engines, an air tank, a starting motor', a pipe connection between the air tank and motor, a clutch connection between the motor and the engine, a pump to be driven by the engine when started, a pipe for delivering air from the pump to the air tank, a main valve controlling the passage of air fro-m the tank to the motor, said valve being manually operable and an air relief valve for 'connecting the pump with the atmosphere said valve being controlled by the pressure in the main line pipe beyond the manually operable valve 1oA motor, a pump, an air tank, a pipe connectingA theair tank with the motor, a pipe connecting the pump with the air tank, a' valve casing communicating with both of said pipes, a valve in said casing which when open allows the escape of air from the air pipe leading from the pump to the tank, and a piston in the valve casing subjected to the air pressure in the main line pipe to open the said Valve when pressure is on the said main pipe, gree consequent upon back firing and the substantially as described. conversion of the motor into a pump and a 10. In combination with an engine, a pump driven by the engine and having 10 starting motor, an air tank, a pipe connecconnection With the air tank t0 deliver `air 5 tion between the air tank and motor and an thereto, substantially vas described. I

air relief valve in said pipe connection `to In testimony'wiiereof, I aix-my signature. open when the pressure exceeds a certain de- 'IHMAS DAVIS. 

